The film Moana clearly communicates the religious idea of sacred journey. In sacred journey, the hero is called out of the everyday and mundane and sets out on a journey on which they will endure trials. If they should succeed in these tests and hardships, they return a changed individual with something of value that will benefit the life of the community. In the film, Moana fills the role of hero, chosen by the sea and called out of her everyday life. Often, the hero has a guide that equips them with various tools needed in order to overcome the trials they face. This figure sees its fulfillment in Moana’s grandmother who, having turned into a stingray upon her death, brilliantly illuminates the water before Moana as she sets off on her journey, leading her past the reef - the boundary of her people. Moana’s spiritual journey is made more explicit in that it is also an actual voyage, in which she must navigate by measuring the night sky with her hand, steadily steering herself towards the demi-god Maui’s habitation. After she has retrieved Maui and endured and succeeded in all her various tests, she restores the heart of Te Fiti and returns to her people, who then benefit from the new and abundant life the heart of Te Fiti gives forth. The people again voyage across the sea to other islands; their identity as a people is restored.
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